Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio meets Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. (Photo: Vietnamnet)

Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio and his entourage left Ho Chi Minh City on March 20 morning, concluding a week-long visit to Vietnam at the invitation of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, according to VOV.

Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio's official visit to Vietnam from March 14-20 is a new step forwards in the development of ties between Vietnam and the West African country.

The visit, made at the invitation of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations (June 24, 1982-2022), has historical meaning in the Vietnam-Sierra Leone ties as it is the first by a head of State of one country to the other, according to VNA.

Since Vietnam and Sierra Leone set up their diplomatic relations on June 24, 1982, the two sides have maintained good political relations. Vietnam attaches importance to fostering ties with African countries, including Sierra Leone. Meanwhile, Sierra Leone supported Vietnam's candidacy for the UNESCO Executive Council (2015-2019), the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC in 2016-2018 tenure), and the United Nations Security Council (2020-2021).

The two countries have engaged in economic cooperation and worked together in some other fields. In 2020, two-way trade reached 49.26 million USD, up more than 200 percent from the 17 million USD recorded in 2018, with Vietnam’s overwhelming exports of 47 million USD. Sierra Leone is operating one project in marketing and human resources management in Vietnam with an investment of 33,185 USD.

Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio meets Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc. (Photo: Vietnamnet)

In order to strengthen their all-round ties, the two countries signed a number of memorandum of understanding on cooperation in some areas, including agriculture and salt production, rice trade, and fisheries. They also reached an agreement on economy-trade, culture, and technology in 2003.

Recently, when presenting his credentials to the Sierra Leone President, Vietnamese Ambassador Luong Quoc Thinh highlighted Vietnam’s interest in further bolstering the sound friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

The diplomat proposed that both sides promote coordination at international and multilateral forums, especially the UN. He asked Sierra Leone to support Vietnam in setting up a relationship with the African Union and back the viewpoints of Vietnam and the ASEAN on the East Sea issue.

During his stay, President Julius Maada Bio held talks with President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

They discussed measures to promote bilateral cooperation, considering the economy as a key area of cooperation. They agreed to increase agricultural cooperation within bilateral and tripartite cooperation frameworks with the participation of international development organizations and industrialized countries, as well as the private sector.

The leaders also agreed to expand cooperation in other fields such as high technology, telecommunications, digital transformation, innovation, education, and training. The two countries signed three bilateral cooperation documents in the fields of diplomacy, agriculture, and fisheries.

President Julius Maada Bio spent time-spanning out to several economic development models in An Giang, Can Tho, and Ho Chi Minh City, including the Saigon Hi-Tech Park.

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